The Black Church, Biserica Neagră in Romanian (german: Schwarze Kirche, hu, Fekete templom), stands in the city of

Brașov Brașov (, , ; german: Kronstadt; hu, Brassó; la, Corona; Transylvanian Saxon: ''Kruhnen'') is a city in Transylvania, Romania and the administrative centre of Brașov County. According to the latest Romanian census (2011), Brașov has a pop ...

in south-eastern

Transylvania Transylvania ( ro, Ardeal or ; hu, Erdély; german: Siebenbürgen) is a historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and south its natural border is the Carpathian Mountains, and to the west the Ap ...

Romania Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the north, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Moldova to the east, and ...

. It was built by the Saxon (German) community of the city and represents the main Gothic-style monument in the country, as well as being the largest and one of the most important houses of worship in the region which belong to the

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Cathol ...

, i.e. Evangelical Church of Augustan Confession in Romania. Author Judit Petki contends that, contrary to a widely held view, the Black Church did not receive its dark appearance as a result of the fire which affected much of the city in 1689, but only in recent times due to pollution.Petki (2019) The current popular name is apparently a 19th-century creation.Roth(2010) The cathedral, a working church, is the main city landmark of historical Brașov, and a museum is open to visitors.

Name

Petki calls the view that the Black Church got its name because it was sooted by the 1689 Brașov fire, a misconception. She bases her view on 21st-century studies, which have found no evidence of fire destruction; the church has blackened simply because of environmental pollution after Brașov has turned into an industrial city in the 19th century. Furthermore, the name "Black Church" was not used until the end of the 19th century.

History

Construction

The originally

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

structure was known as the Church of Saint Mary, replacing an older building used for the same purpose. Construction on it began during the late 14th century, at an unknown date — analysis of related evidence has led several researchers to conclude that work began between 1383 and 1385,Vătășianu, p.228 employing

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

n workers and craftsmen who proceeded to establish the Brașov Bulgarian colony in

Șcheii Brașovului Șcheii Brașovului ( hu, Bolgárszeg, german: Belgerei or more recently ''Obere Vorstadt''; traditional Romanian name: ''Bulgărimea'', colloquially ''Șchei'') is the old ethnically Bulgarian and Romanian neighborhood of Brașov, a city in south ...

. According to popular legend, a German child was disturbing the Bulgarian builders or told them that one of the walls was leaning. An annoyed Bulgarian pushed the child off the church tower and then

immured Immurement (from the Latin , "in" and , "wall"; literally "walling in"), also called immuration or live entombment, is a form of imprisonment, usually until death, in which a person is sealed within an enclosed space without exits. This includes i ...

his corpse in the church to conceal his crime.Balkanski (1996) It is known that, in its first stages, the building was serviced by a priest named Thomas (died 1410), whose grave is located in the

choir A choir ( ; also known as a chorale or chorus) is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which sp ...

area. Work on the fortifications in the surrounding area probably began at the same time as work on the church, leading in time to the completion of Brașov's third citadel. Its

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. Ov ...

originally featured a single column, but its role in supporting the entire central structure — on the model of German cathedrals built by Hans Stettheimer (a view expressed by researchers such as Ernst Kühlbrandt and Antal Hekler) is under dispute.Vătășianu, p.229 The

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...

and aisles took longer to complete, and construction was interrupted for various intervals: in 1423, Pope Martin V issued an

indulgence In the teaching of the Catholic Church, an indulgence (, from , 'permit') is "a way to reduce the amount of punishment one has to undergo for sins". The ''Catechism of the Catholic Church'' describes an indulgence as "a remission before God of ...

for people involved in construction, as a means to reactivate the site; in 1474, a document issued by Sixtus IV acknowledged that work was still lagging.Vătășianu, p.230 Several octagonal pillars, redesigned at least once during the building process, were probably completed around 1444. One of them features the inlaid crest of military leader

John Hunyadi John Hunyadi (, , , ; 1406 – 11 August 1456) was a leading Hungarian military and political figure in Central and Southeastern Europe during the 15th century. According to most contemporary sources, he was the member of a noble family of ...

, who is mentioned among the church benefactors.Vătășianu, p.231 The most intense work took place before and after 1450, and involved completing the exceptionally large number of portals, including the northern "Golden Gate" and its adjacent altar of the Holy Sacrifice. The eastern portal, commissioned by the Hungarian

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

Matthias Corvinus Matthias Corvinus, also called Matthias I ( hu, Hunyadi Mátyás, ro, Matia/Matei Corvin, hr, Matija/Matijaš Korvin, sk, Matej Korvín, cz, Matyáš Korvín; ), was King of Hungary and Croatia from 1458 to 1490. After conducting several m ...

, was completed in 1476. The

vestry A vestry was a committee for the local secular and ecclesiastical government for a parish in England, Wales and some English colonies which originally met in the vestry or sacristy of the parish church, and consequently became known colloquiall ...

was enlarged at some point between 1500 and 1515.

Style and shape in historical context

Completed during the 15th century (soon after 1476), the church belongs to the final stages of Gothic architecture. The result was a three-nave

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica is a large public building with multiple functions, typically built alongside the town's Forum (Roman), forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek East. The building ...

, all the same height, that is: a "

hall church A hall church is a church with a nave and aisles of approximately equal height, often united under a single immense roof. The term was invented in the mid-19th century by Wilhelm Lübke, a pioneering German art historian. In contrast to an archi ...

", as was preferred during the 15th and 16th centuries in the German lands, where most of the architects and masons originated. Many parts of the building show similarities with the church in Sebeș and St. Michael Church of Cluj-Napoca, as well as with the '' Dominikánsky kostol'' in Košice. The design was itself an inspiration for other religious buildings in the region, and it is possible that a stonemason originally employed on the site later worked on the church in

Ghimbav Ghimbav (german: Weidenbach; hu, Vidombák) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, central Romania. It is located in the centre of Romania, 5 miles (8 km) west of Brașov. History The town was first mentioned in a letter written in 1 ...

Reformation

The Catholic services were replaced with Lutheran ones during the

Protestant Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and ...

, coinciding with the influence exercised by

Johannes Honter Johannes Honter (also known as Johann Hynter; Latinized as Johann Honterus or Ioannes Honterus; Romanian sources may credit him as Ioan, Hungarian ones as János; 1498 – 23 January 1549) was a Transylvanian Saxon, renaissance humanist, Prote ...

(1498–1549). His statue of the reformer was erected by Harro Magnussen (1861-1908) on the southern side of the building. It was long thought that the church had been partially destroyed during a great fire set by invading Habsburg forces on 21 April 1689 (during the Great Turkish War), but this theory has been proven wrong.

Later work

A large part of the inner structure was modified during the 18th century, breaking with the original design. The explanation that the church had to be repaired following the fire of 1689 has been discarded, but it was modified with the help of masons coming from Danzig, as local craftsmen had not mastered the craft of completing the enormous vaults; these were to be completed in

Baroque style The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including t ...

Restoration

From the years, 1937 and 2000, the Black Church was restored and the intellectual elite of the Transylvanian Saxons were able to carry out a substantial program of restoration of this portion of their historic heritage despite unfavorable political contexts. By doing so, they were able to preserve the forms of solidarity that were unique to their community and complete the work.

Features

Size

The Black Church is 89 meters long and 38 meters wide.Ziegler & Ziegler (2019) It measures 21 meters from the floor level to the top of its walls, 42 meters to the ridge of the roof,Kotzan (2013) and 65 meters to the highest point of its only bell tower.

Sculpture

Much of the outside structure was built in friable grit, which caused outer sculptures and masonry elements to deteriorate with time. The oldest features surviving include several sculptures, arches, simpler masonry patterns such as trilobes, as well as numerous portals, while the crowning is imitation Gothic dating from the 18th century. The oldest sculpture appears to be the almost completely deteriorated bust of

John the Baptist John the Baptist or , , or , ;Wetterau, Bruce. ''World history''. New York: Henry Holt and Company. 1994. syc, ܝܘܿܚܲܢܵܢ ܡܲܥܡܕ݂ܵܢܵܐ, Yoḥanān Maʿmḏānā; he, יוחנן המטביל, Yohanān HaMatbil; la, Ioannes Bapti ...

; it is located in the choir section and reflects the Bohemian

Gothic art Gothic art was a style of medieval art that developed in Northern France out of Romanesque art in the 12th century AD, led by the concurrent development of Gothic architecture. It spread to all of Western Europe, and much of Northern, Southern and ...

as seen in the works of

Johann Johann, typically a male given name, is the German form of ''Iohannes'', which is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Iōánnēs'' (), itself derived from Hebrew name '' Yochanan'' () in turn from its extended form (), meaning "Yahweh is Gracious ...

and

Peter Parler Peter Parler (german: Peter von Gemünd, cs, Petr Parléř, la, Petrus de Gemunden in Suevia; 1333 – 13 July 1399) was a German-Bohemian architect and sculptor from the Parler family of master builders. Along with his father, Heinrich Parler, ...

.Vătășianu, p.322 A more flamboyant Gothic style was used in the outside sculptures — those probably depicting the church's supposed founder, Thomas, and the Catholic

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of Transylvania, Nicholas. Other pieces in that style include the Nativity, Salvator Mundi, an

archangel Archangels () are the second lowest rank of angel in the hierarchy of angels. The word ''archangel'' itself is usually associated with the Abrahamic religions, but beings that are very similar to archangels are found in a number of other relig ...

, as well as depictions of saints believed to be the Four Evangelists (probably completed in various stages between 1430 and 1450). Newer medieval sculptures, created after 1450 and showing some

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history The history of Europe is traditionally divided into four time periods: prehistoric Europe (prior to about 800 BC), classical antiquity (800 BC to AD ...

influences, feature the northward

bas-relief Relief is a sculptural method in which the sculpted pieces are bonded to a solid background of the same material. The term '' relief'' is from the Latin verb ''relevo'', to raise. To create a sculpture in relief is to give the impression that th ...

depicting

Jesus Christ Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label=Hebrew/Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious ...

in the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, as well as various figures on the same facade. The statue of Mary and Jesus faces towards the old city hall and stands above the coat of arms of Kronstadt (Brașov), as the Virgin Mary is the patron of the city. The twelve statues seen today on the choir buttresses are copies created by local artists and placed there in 1937-1944, when the badly weathered 15th-century originals were moved inside the church, where they are still on display.SC Hidraulica SRL unterstützt die Restaurierung der Statue der Hl. Katharina
FB posting of the church's congregation (Honterusgemeinde - Schwarze Kirche), 17 August 2021. The copies are themselves seriously affected by the intensifying air pollution, five of the them having been restored between 2018 and the summer of 2021.

Murals

A partly destroyed

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

, which appears to have been completed around 1477, is situated near the southeastern portal, and features the coat of arms of

and his wife Beatrice.Vătășianu, p.763 It shows the Nativity, together with depictions of Saint Catherine and

Saint Barbara Saint Barbara ( grc, Ἁγία Βαρβάρα; cop, Ϯⲁⲅⲓⲁ Ⲃⲁⲣⲃⲁⲣⲁ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an early Christian Lebanese and Greek saint and martyr. Accounts place her in t ...

. Unlike the inner Annunciation mural, which is late Gothic, the outside painting is heavily influenced by the Renaissance.

Bell, organ, carpets, valuable items

The Black Church has three bells, the largest weighing 6.3

tonnes The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton (United States c ...

, which makes it the biggest in Romania. The larger of the two

organs In biology, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in a structural unit to serve a common function. In the hierarchy of life, an organ lies between tissue and an organ system. Tissues are formed from same type cells to act together in a f ...

, boasting an impressive 4,000 pipes, was built in 1839 by Carl August Buchholz and is played during weekly concerts. Of its rich collection of "Transylvanian" rugs, donated between the 15th and 17th centuries by Transylvanian Saxon merchants, some have been used to decorate walls as well as floors after the Reformation. The church also features a

cast iron Cast iron is a class of iron– carbon alloys with a carbon content more than 2%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloy constituents affect its color when fractured: white cast iron has carbide impur ...

tabernacle According to the Hebrew Bible, the tabernacle ( he, מִשְׁכַּן, mīškān, residence, dwelling place), also known as the Tent of the Congregation ( he, link=no, אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, ’ōhel mō‘ēḏ, also Tent of Meeting, etc.), ...

in Gothic style, a baptismal font completed in 1472 and donated by a merchant named Johannes Rewdel, two large

chalice A chalice (from Latin 'mug', borrowed from Ancient Greek () 'cup') or goblet is a footed cup intended to hold a drink. In religious practice, a chalice is often used for drinking during a ceremony or may carry a certain symbolic meaning. R ...

s (both dated around 1504) and several brocade

chasuble The chasuble () is the outermost liturgical vestment worn by clergy for the celebration of the Eucharist in Western-tradition Christian churches that use full vestments, primarily in Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Lutheran churches. In the Eastern ...

s (created between in the late 15th and mid-16th centuries).Vătăşianu, p.853, 856, 876, 880–881

Gallery

Image:RO BV Brasov 10.jpg, Brașov, Black Church in the background Image:Black Church Brasov 2.jpg, The church and its surroundings Image:BisericaNeagradinPtaSfatului.jpg, Council Square and the Black Church File:RO BV Brașov Biserica Neagră 04.jpg, Northern and western facades Image:Black church from Barasov.jpg, Southwest corner with bell tower Image:Black Church Brasov.jpg, Statue of

in front of the bell tower File:Detaliu Biserica Neagra - Ceasul.jpg, The southern clock face with the Four Evangelists Image:Biserica Neagra Statui.jpg, Outside sculptures (southern part of the apse) Image:Virgin Mary, Brasov patron.jpg, Mary and Jesus (outside sculpture) Image:Statue on Black Church.jpg, Statue of St. Catherine on a buttress Image:The gold gate.jpg, The "Golden Gate" File:Biserica Neagră interior.jpg, Interior with rugs

Activities

The church website is regularly updated. A Lutheran service is held each Sunday for the small German community in the city. The church contains a museum and is open to visitors. The Anatolian carpets, which together constitute the largest collection of " Transylvanian rugs", are preserved in their historical locations throughout the church. The public can attend organ concerts, on a regular basis and as part of musical events.

References

Bibliography

* (1996). "Окръг Брашов" ('Brașov County'), in ''Трансилванските (седмиградските) българи. Етнос. Език. Етнонимия. Ономастика. Просопографии'' ('The Transylvanian (seven-city f._ f._Siebenbürgen#Etymology">Siebenbürgen#Etymology.html"_;"title="f._Siebenbürgen#Etymology">f._Siebenbürgen#Etymology_Bulgarians._Ethnic_group.html" ;"title="Siebenbürgen#Etymology.html" ;"title="Siebenbürgen#Etymology.html" ;"title="f. Siebenbürgen#Etymology">f. Siebenbürgen#Etymology">Siebenbürgen#Etymology.html" ;"title="f. Siebenbürgen#Etymology">f. Siebenbürgen#Etymology Bulgarians. Ethnic group">Ethnos. Language. Ethnonymy. Onomastics. Prosopography'), IK "Znak '94", Veliko Tarnovo, p
44
Via macedonia.kroraina.com, re-accessed 19 Oct 2021. *Heltmann, Heinz & Servatius, Gustav (1993). ''Reiseführer Siebenbürgen''. Wort und Welt Verlag, Thaur bei Innsbruck, p.365. * * Miletich, Lyubomir (1896). "Дако-ромънитѣ и тѣхната славянска писменость. Часть II. Нови влахо-български грамоти отъ Брашовъ: Брашов и брашовските българите („шкеи”, ''bolgárszeg'')" (based on Google translation: "Daco-Romanian ?and their Slavic ocuments? Part II. New Vlacho-Bulgarian diplomas from Braşov: Braşov and the Bulgarians of Braşov ("Șkei", ''bolgárszeg'')"), in ''Сборникъ за Народни Умотворения, Наука и Книжнина'' ('Collection of Folk Tales, Science and Literature'), Vol. XIII, 1896, Sofia. *Petki, Judit. ''Kulcskérdések a Nagy tűzről'', 'Key questions about the Great Fire' (in Hungarian). Brassói Lapok, 5 September 2019, p. 4. *Roth, Harald (2010). ''Kronstadt in Siebenbürgen – Eine kleine Stadtgeschichte''. pp. 162–164, . *Vătășianu, Virgil (1959). ''Istoria artei feudale în țările romîne'' ('History of feudalistic .e. medievalart in the Romanian lands'), Vol. I. Editura Academiei RPR, Bucharest. *

External links

Official website
valid as of 2021.
Black Church 360 Virtual Tour
{{DEFAULTSORT:Biserica Neagra Religious buildings and structures in Brașov Historic monuments in Brașov County Lutheran cathedrals in Romania Protestantism in Romania Transylvanian-Saxon people Gothic architecture in Romania Tourist attractions in Brașov Piața Sfatului